The "sonic cancelation / damper wave" is already in production. There are headphones (I don't remember from who, but one that is known for quality headphones) has it to reduce outside noise. Seems to work, not perfectly, but...

Power requirements for CPUs:

The P4 is incredibly inefficient. The CPUs (and DSPs) in handhelds have a lot more processing power per watt. And if one makes a dedicated device, especially for tasks that allow massive paralell computing then it can get even more efficient.

I agree with Galadrion, there is a lot of stuff out there that can be built (within a few years) if the will to do so (and to invest a lot of money) is there.

The soudn cancelling ear protectors are the latest "high tech" item for shooters, especially for shooters at indoor ranges.

Cheers,
Cateagle_________________"But the wildest of all the wild animals was the Cateagle. He walked by himself and all places were alike to him."
-- With apologies to Rudyard Kipling

[rant]
The question now is not so much, what can we do in five or ten years, but what can we get past the lawyers or what can one get investors for?

The IP laws (patents, copyrights, ...) are so broken that anyone needs at least as many lawyers as researchers.

Companies spend way more money on the commercials that sell the latest "technical breakthrough" than on the research that went into it.
[/rant]_________________I'm a nut, but there are those who appreciate me for it.

The P4 is incredibly inefficient. The CPUs (and DSPs) in handhelds have a lot more processing power per watt. And if one makes a dedicated device, especially for tasks that allow massive paralell computing then it can get even more efficient.

All true, but in order to come up with the same processing power, you'd have to use far more units... in a portable application requiring a lot of processing power, you'd rapidly run into the problem of "where do we put all these things?" To say nothing of durability issues... the more delicate components you have in one of these designs, the more likely (and more frequently) something will break.

Tygon wrote:

Oh great! Now everybody will say I stole that idea from you.

Heh. Not everyone - and especially not after I say this: I suspect we may have a lot of the same sources. Where I got that idea was a combination of two sources: a Shadowrun sourcebook (I think it was The Neo-Anarchist's Guide to North America, but I might be misremembering), and one of the villains in the "Hawkeye" graphic novel from Marvel Comics.

The P4 is incredibly inefficient. The CPUs (and DSPs) in handhelds have a lot more processing power per watt. And if one makes a dedicated device, especially for tasks that allow massive paralell computing then it can get even more efficient.

All true, but in order to come up with the same processing power, you'd have to use far more units... in a portable application requiring a lot of processing power, you'd rapidly run into the problem of "where do we put all these things?" To say nothing of durability issues... the more delicate components you have in one of these designs, the more likely (and more frequently) something will break.

I remember reading that there is a jacket with integrated computer. And a powerful computer. Unfortunately I don't have any details.

Such things can already be done. Heck, it is possible to build a computer screen that's not thicker than a sheet of paper. These things are just too new and too expensive.

Galadrion wrote:

Tygon wrote:

Oh great! Now everybody will say I stole that idea from you.

Heh. Not everyone - and especially not after I say this: I suspect we may have a lot of the same sources. Where I got that idea was a combination of two sources: a Shadowrun sourcebook (I think it was The Neo-Anarchist's Guide to North America, but I might be misremembering), and one of the villains in the "Hawkeye" graphic novel from Marvel Comics.

Neither read any of them.

I actually got it from Batman Beyond. There was a guy who had exactly that device.

It came back to my mind when I heard about the stealth copters I mentioned earlier.

Another thing I forgot to mention is biotechnology. Okay, creating devices that are organic and actually live sounds very far fetched but it isn't as much as some think. For example, there is a new type of solar cells that use a biological polymer to create electricity.

Another example is biosteel. Never heard of it? Well, have you heard of spiders? Know their webs? Well, the stuff they are made of is the strongest fabric in exsistance. Scientists found ways to create it artificially in tobacco plants and the milk glands of goats. A rope made of biosteel that is as thick as a finger could hold a 747 in the ground. You can make bullet proof t-shirts out of it. And it's silk. High quality silk. And possible applications for that stuff are endless.

I think organic mass starage systems like the biochips in Neuromancer aren't that far. Perhaps not in the year 2025 but I think we'll see them this century. Imagine that. Storing information in a DNA. And that's exactly what a DNA does anyway, and it does it good. Over 40 GB of data on the size of a cell. Pretty neat, eh?_________________Tygon Panthera - name and species
www.planetfurry.com/~tygon/

To add onto this discussion, a killer technology is usually one that is fairly cheap, easy to use, and does something better than anything before. It could be a disruptive one, like Crossbows. (killed social warfare in the middle ages) Or ones that build on the previous one, like the Telephone, Radio, TV, and Computers.

I feel the next big thing Could be the PDA/Cell Phone. The old Dick Tracy comic strip almost had it right with the Wrist Communicator. I don't think we need video on all calls, but the ideal PDA would have:

Extremely small size. Wrist Watch size, or pendant size.
Color screen, flexible, bendable, even foldable out of the way until needed.
Long battery life.
Built-in keyboard, possibly part of the screen when unfolded.
Full PDA functions like smart Address book, finance, etc.
Full web support for email, browsing, etc.
High speed connections.
Built-in camera.
Enough storage to make it useable.

The technologies are almost here for all of these functions. But it will be at least five years before we see them converged into a useable product. Once here, manufacturing could reduce the cost to where it would be ubiquitous.

I feel the next big thing Could be the PDA/Cell Phone. The old Dick Tracy comic strip almost had it right with the Wrist Communicator. I don't think we need video on all calls, but the ideal PDA would have:

Extremely small size. Wrist Watch size, or pendant size.
Color screen, flexible, bendable, even foldable out of the way until needed.
Long battery life.
Built-in keyboard, possibly part of the screen when unfolded.
Full PDA functions like smart Address book, finance, etc.
Full web support for email, browsing, etc.
High speed connections.
Built-in camera.
Enough storage to make it useable.

The technologies are almost here for all of these functions. But it will be at least five years before we see them converged into a useable product. Once here, manufacturing could reduce the cost to where it would be ubiquitous.

I'd buy one!

<Laugh> And just to revisit this subject after a two-year maturing period...

Readily-available PDAs today include:

Color screen, of SVGA display quality, self-lit.

Long battery life - how long depends on model. The one I'm currently using lasts about three days between recharges (built-in battery), and I use it nearly constantly. (I'm talking around thirty hours of actual usage time in that period. I use it as a tool at work, when I'm not also using it as a writing tool.)

Full PDA functionality - this has evolved since we had this discussion. Nowadays, a PDA can do just about anything a laptop can, barring physical differences. With Bluetooth or other connection technology, they can interface with anything a laptop - or desktop - can. The difference is software - and PDA software is a lot more efficient than PC software.

Web support - was already becoming available two years ago; is now readily available anywhere wireless support is available for laptops. Which is just about everywhere in many cities.

Built-in camera. The one I'm using now has one - not that I use it much.

Enough storage to make it "usable" - how much that may be changes as the available software changes. The one I'm using now has enough native capacity to support a complete Office-Pro compatible suite and the files for (at a rough guess) half of the current Raccoon's Bookshelf stories. (I don't have them on there - I'd never get any work done if I had them available there!) And that's on 16 MB native memory. I've also got a 64 MB chip in the expansion port... and that's not even close to the largest available. If I picked up one of the medium-large flash drives available now, I'd have more space than I'm ever likely to fill.

How much did this thing cost me? From one point of view, nothing. See, my earlier PDA died on me, under warranty. Palm no longer had any of those units available, so they replaced it with the closest equivalent unit, free of charge - and this thing is probably three generations improved than the one it replaced. But to look at it from the point of view of "what did I pay" - two years before replacement - call it about $150. Tack on another $50 for add-on software and the chip. Not a bad price, really. Today, you can go online and get the whole thing - including my add-ons - for about $85, if you know where to look.

Welcome to progress...

Just to add a few comments, though: I doubt that the size will drop much more than it already has. Today's PDA screens are almost too small as it is - I would prefer something a bit larger, to be honest. Maybe something about 3"x5". But I can visualize a seperate screen as a peripheral while the main unit continues to shrink. Likewise, the keyboard would likely be better as a peripheral - the one on my pager is too small to be comfortably used in a cleanroom environment, where you have to wear double-layered gloves._________________Galadrion - Member of the Longbottom 3.

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